Zion Williamson and Luka Doncic are set to square off for the first time since March 4, 2020.
Pelicans (11-13) at Mavericks (12-14)
7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
• Luka Doncic ranks seventh in the league in scoring (27.8 ppg) with his production peaking early as he ranks second in first-quarter scoring (8.6), 10th in both the second (6.4) and third (7.8) quarters and 34th in the fourth quarter (5.2).
• The Mavericks and Pelicans are both 4-1 over their past five games, and rank second (123.4) and fifth (120.2), respectively, in points per game during that stretch. Dallas has been led by Doncic (30 ppg, 9.2 apg) while New Orleans has been led by Zion Williamson (24.8 ppg, 67.6 FG%) in that time.
• New Orleans’ five-man lineup of Eric Bledsoe, Steven Adams, Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Zion Williamson have shared the court for 293 minutes so far this season — the fourth-most used lineup in the league. They have outscored their opponents by 56 points, the fifth-highest point differential from any five-man lineup in the league.
• Williamson leads the NBA with 7.8 field goals made inside the restricted area per game. He is shooting 64.4 percent inside the restricted area, and 59.9 percent overall, which ranks seventh in the NBA. Zion is facing a Mavericks team that ranks 27th in rim protection, allowing opponents to shoot 65.5% when they are defending the basket.
• Doncic ranks fourth in pull-up field goal attempts per game at 10.3 and is shooting 40.1% on those attempts. Both his attempts and his accuracy are up from last season, when he attempted 9.0 pull ups (12th in NBA) and shot just 33.6 percent.
Few teams this season score more often in the paint than the Lakers and Grizzlies do.
Grizzlies (10-10) at Lakers (20-6)
10 p.m. ET, ESPN
• The Grizzlies snapped a season-long four-game losing streak with a win against Charlotte on Wednesday as they knocked down a franchise-record 23 3-pointers. It was the fourth time in franchise history that the Grizzlies made at least 20 3-pointers in a single game.
• The Lakers enter Friday riding a league-high six-game win streak, with the last three all coming in overtime. They are the seventh team in league history to have three consecutive games go into overtime and win all three — the first to do so since the Minnesota Timberwolves from Jan. 3-7, 2007. There has never been a four-game streak.
• The Grizzlies (53.4 ppg) and Lakers (51.8 ppg) rank second and fifth, respectively, in points in the paint this season. The Grizzlies allow the 10th-fewest points in the paint (45.5 ppg), while the Lakers allow the fifth-most (50.0).
• LeBron James leads all players with 24 baskets and ranks second with 13 assists in clutch situations (game within five points in final five minutes). The Lakers are 10-3 in clutch games and have outscored their opponents by 53 points in LeBron’s 63 clutch minutes.
• The Grizzlies ranks second in the league in fast break points (15.9 ppg) with a league-high six players averaging at least two fast break points per game. The Lakers rank ninth in fast break defense, allowing 12.2 ppg.
